School program 2015-2016

Pointe-à-Callière’s lets you learn history from the ground up

hrough its school program, Pointe-à-Callière takes preschool, elementary and secondary students on an underground archaeological tour, to the very birthplace of Montréal. Step by step, they retrace their city’s past, with the help of models, astonishing projections and virtual historic characters.

The Museum also
offers a variety of exciting activities and fascinating workshops, led
by professional interpreter-guides, to give students hands-on contact
with archaeology and history.

Multimedia show

Most activity includes the Multimedia show. The history of Montréal comes to life above authentic remains, in an immersive show using the latest technology. You will feel as though you are part of the action as you watch the city take root and grow. An exceptional educational experience, a chance to relive six centuries of our history in 18 spellbinding minutes sure to fascinate all ages.

The Museum offers a wide range of valuable educational resources for teachers planning a trip to the Museum or wishing to enrich their programs. They include the St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Corn People book, our online archaeological and ethnohistorical collections, and teacher’s fact sheets and guides for the activities described below. And don’t miss the interactive games section!

Educational activities

Interpreted tour - At Pointe-à-Callière, history leaves traces... in the hearts and minds of our young visitors! They travel back in time and find themselves on the point of land where Montréal was born. It’s a tangible and moving experience as they handle authentic remains and objects, like a Native pipe from before 1650, the town’s first Catholic cemetery… a marble from the 18th century... the wooden floor of a 19th-century building.

Simulated archeological digs - The Archaeo-Adventure workshop is the perfect opportunity to find out what archaeologists do. Under the supervision of a chief archaeologist (interpreter-guide), your students will use the scientific approach to conduct an investigation. They’ll dig in the ground, find traces from the days when Natives camped here right up until the British regime, analyze their finds in a laboratory and learn how people lived in days gone by.

Interactive exhibition - Pointe-à-Callière offers young visitors a golden opportunity to learn
about and test their mettle against some hardy mariners who sailed the
St. Lawrence in days gone by. The immersive setting evokes a privateer
ship, giving youngsters a chance to use their brains and brawn as they
thrill to tales of adventure. Montréal privateer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville invites the young would-be privateers to discover what
shipboard life was like back then, and to see whether they have what it
takes to join his crew. Are you up for the challenge?

Interactive workshop - Curious young preschoolers and kindergarten students are always welcome at Pointe-à-Callière! A Museum guide and assistant Arty Fact, an irresistible puppet, will
take them on an exciting tour. Here at the Museum, objects, the walls
and even the floor have stories to tell! The children will discover some
objects unearthed by archaeologists.

Interactive workshop - What was life like for children in New France? Did they wear wooden shoes? What games did they play? The students will experience the lives of children in those days here on Montréal’s very birthplace, at Pointe-à-Callière. They’ll have fun getting a taste of the past, playing the games and doing the chores that were once part of the everyday lives of young people in New France.

The St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Corn People Corn People shares the latest archaeological, historical and linguistic findings about an aboriginal people who were growing corn where most Quebeckers live today.

An active foundation

Through the financial assistance it provides, the Foundation contributes to research, helps to preserve archaeological remains and supports collections development. It also helps to produce exhibitions and supports the development of cultural and of educational activities for young people.